10 There and back again
by Roztov
Summary: Roztov returns to where it all began


The upper levels of the tower had been unused for years and the rooms were musty and damp. But  
once he had lit a fire and night time started drawing in, it started to feel more familiar and  
cozy.  
Roztov put his feet up by the fire and wriggled his toes as his wet socks started to steam.

He had arrived just an hour ago, riding through the perpetual mountain rains. His cloak had kept  
most of the water off, but his boots had soaked right through and were nor drying by the fire.  
The small room he was in now had a single window with a dusty old curtain and a large open fire  
place. There were half a dozen chairs with assorted tables nearby around the fire. A large table  
by the window was laden with old bottles and scrolls. The rest of the room was crammed with boxes  
and crates piled almost to the ceiling in some places.

Well, this was it, he thought. The End. It deserved a capital letter. After the Heroes of Kaladim  
had left the tower in the Butcherblock Mountains, they had given enough money to Mrs Propamall  
to look after the old place and to rent out some of the rooms and use to house orphans and widows  
of fishermen and sailors killed by aqua goblins on the west coast.

Things were quiet when he arrived though. Mrs Propamall was still there, ten years older, but  
still going strong. She had moved in to the tower herself and sold her cottage in Stonebridge.  
She didn't trust any bank to look after the dragon treasure from the icy wastes of Velious  
that funded the tower and instead kept it in a locked trunk under her bed.

When Roztov arrived he added to it with silvery platinum coins from Teolosia and the caves  
under Nektulos forest. Coins with the heads of kings on so old that not even the dwarves  
remembered them. These days Roztov had so much money he didn't know what to do with it anyway  
and with the divide between the rich and poor so big these days there was enough coin in the  
tower to fund it for a thousand years. It would be a foolish thief that tried to steal it  
as well, the 'Steadfast Servant' who was the custodian of the place, was a creature conjured  
into life by Tuppence the wizard to look after the place and as it never slept it was the perfect  
guard.  
That and the fact that it was a five foot tall leather winged demon.

In the end he took his socks off and put them down on the hearth. His small pet bear wandered  
into the room and gave his feet a quick sniff before settling down in an empty seat beside him  
and promptly falling asleep.

'Well, old bear,' mused the druid, 'This is the old place. Not so bad really.'

The bear opened one eye and gave him a quizzical look.

'But don't worry. I don't think I will be moving back.'

The bear closed its eye again, content with the answer. Roztov had wondered about moving back  
to Stonebridge again, but had decided against it. He loved his rundown mansion over in Antonica  
and besides, what was left for him here? Just memories.

He remembered when they had first moved in. Just their weapons and a few gold coins between them.  
They had been so young, but so eager for adventure. Brond, their leader, a dwarf from Kaladim.  
Xomano the halfling, not long off the boat from Freeport. Ambrielle, back when she had been not  
much more than an apprentice and not the incredibly powerful sorceress she was today. Jalavan and  
his half brother Jalamu, the verbally dyslexic barbarian.

Roztov sighed, as his mind dug up more old names. Suran, the cat from the moon, Taldaanja, who  
had gone her own way. Assynt, who had married Xomano and settled down in Rivervale of all places.

Assynt, thought Roztov, now that really is going back a bit. But not as far back as some. If you  
wanted to go all the way back, the you had to go back to Velious. That was were the guild had  
really been in its hey-day. Lots of people, lots of old names. Kahn, Soulba, Ellerina, Deky.  
Some were still alive but in different bands or retired. Some were dead.

The Tower of Frozen Shadows had been where they had really started to open up that continent.  
Just one of a hundred other bands of adventurers who had been on the continent during that gold rush,  
but somehow they had felt special. Idealist in some way, not just after the treasure and glory.

Hundreds of undead had fallen to their swords. And then Kael Drakkel, the city of the giants.  
Roztov shuddered. Derek the Vindicator. How many times had the fought there way right into  
the city only to be defeated by this mighty giant? But they had got him in the end by Tunare!

And Tunare had been happy indeed, as there was a whole new realm of hers just waiting behind  
the city. And then the Plane of Growth itself! Roztov smiled to himself in happy recollection.

'And you've met her small bear!', he addressed his sleeping pet, 'Remember? It does me good  
to go there sometimes. Always feels like a holiday.'

He continued his remembrances. After Velious of course, they followed the crowds of adventurers  
headed for the moon, Luclin. Al Kabor had repaired the portal system and yet another gold rush  
had began.

Back then Roztov had been one of the raid leaders and had lead bands deep into the dangerous  
wildernesses of Luclin, tracking such fiendish creatures as Doomshade and Rumblecrush.

Names he remembered from that period were Edihag, Brond's barbarian companion, and Mantos,  
the warrior who always wore red. Beolvaar too of course, had joined their band at that time.  
Hfestos, the silent druid and Dentist, the frankly crazy ogre. All gone now though.

When they had got back from the moon and returned to this same old tower in the mountains  
things had felt a little different. There was new adventure to be had, but after Brond had  
left the guild had shrunk a bit and things lost focus a little.

Guild parties still went off to far off places and even new planes of reality, but in the end  
it was places closer to home that drew their attention. Strange new creatures below the earth  
of Antonica and dragons in the north.

At this time, Xomano, who had been the leader of the guild, retired and with her husband headed  
back to Rivervale. Strong leadership was found in Leedory, the scatter-brained human cleric  
and Dewflower the secretive but deadly elven rogue.

Dewflower lead the guild into the dragon infested mountains of northern Antonica and into the  
realms of a race new to Norrath, the drakkin.

So many new faces. So many new lands. The old faces had all gone and there were not many people  
that Roztov even recognised in the guild anymore.

Dewflower had gathered together a hardened cadre of adventurers around her and together they  
had taken on monsters and villains that years ago would have taken the whole guild out in force  
to take down. Roztov had gone into semi-retirement in his run down old mansion, funding its  
renovation from his forays into Arcstone. He took less part in the day to day running of the  
guild.

In the end the whole thing had a sort of inevitability about it. Dewflower, frustrated by the  
dwindling numbers in the 'heroes' had done the only thing she could do.  
Roztov didn't blame her. After all, the guild had been formed by a bunch of dwarves sitting  
on the steps outside Kaladim. How many dwarves where in the guild now?

Dewflower had decided to merge the Heroes of Kaladim with another guild. One with a good reputation  
and an outfit where she could actually get things done, not just what now amounted to no more  
than a loose band of old soldiers with their tired memories and no real desire for any more  
adventure.  
By her elven standards Dewflower was still young, but Roztov wasn't. He had been thirty when he  
had joined the Heroes, but he was fifty one now. Tunare bestows many gifts on her loyal followers,  
one of which is longevity. Roztov still only looked like he was in his thirties, but  
he didn't feel like it. Not on nights like this anyway.

Kids these days had it easy he reflected, back when he had first left Surefall glade, there was  
no New Tanaan, no Shadowrest, no Nexus. Nothing but wild unconquered lands that had to be reached  
by foot or via a long sea voyage. If you wanted to get somewhere you took the long way.

Well, he thought to himself, some will be leaving the guild for good, but I won't be going  
anywhere. He was too old to change his ways, and this tower, all the memories, they were something  
that he couldn't move on from. Not just yet anyway.

He wasn't ready for more adventure. Not the level of excitement that Dewflower and her  
followers would be facing on a daily bases anyway. Roztov didn't think his old bones could  
take it. Besides, the new love of his life, Kismis, a young high elf wizard fresh out of Felwithe and  
eager to see the rest of the world was taking up a lot of his time. It was fun for him, taking her on  
little holidays to some of his old places. Velious was a lot quieter now, and Luclin, but all the old  
places were still there, albeit more settled and civilised. There was the baby on the way too...

Roztov leant back in his seat and shut his eyes. You never know, he pondered, there might still  
be a few people who were still on the role call but were in semi-retirement, who like him  
would find some excuse not to leave completely, and still come back to the tower from time to  
time and the guild might be more than just a memory.

And why not? , he thought, they erected statues to some of us in the square of Stonebridge in  
the end. He sighed, but these days, the only thing Kaladim hears about our exploits is when  
I brew up another batch of Constitutional from the mushrooms in Greybloom's field.

The door creaked open and Mrs Propamall came in carrying a tea tray which she sat down on the  
table beside Roztov's chair.

'Thinking about the old days Mr T?', enquired the old lady as she poured the tea from a pot into  
a porcelain cup.

'Yes, I am that. This is a sad day really. But somehow it feels right. All things end. But  
from endings come new beginnings. So Tunare teaches us anyway.'

'I don't doubt it. When my old Herbin died, I thought that was the end for me. But Mr B hired  
me and I've been here ever since. And well, if Flora could stop having children for more than  
five minutes we would get more done.. but well. We do a lot of good here is all I can say.  
There are thems that should be very grateful.'  
Mrs Propamall hummed. 'Listen to me going on. I'll let you relax. The kitchen still needs  
cleaning and with Flora pregnant again! Sorry... sorry..old lady prattle' she said as she backed  
out the door.

Roztov smiled to himself and poured milk into his tea. There was even a plate of hard dwarven  
biscuits. He broke one in half and threw the larger portion to his bear who woke long enough to  
snuffle at it and then goggle it down in three drooling bites.

'I shouldn't really sit here all night though.' said the druid to his bear, 'I want to get all  
these rooms sorted out. There is so much junk up here. There must be fifty swords at least.  
Old armour, boxes and boxes of .. well treasure I suppose, although it mostly looks like  
junk to me.'

The bear rolled its eyes and then shut them and went back to sleep, to show what it thought  
of that idea.

'Perhaps your right. It can probably wait until tomorrow. After all, maybe I will stay here  
a few days. Maybe a week or two. Just to see who shows up. Maybe some of your old friends eh?  
Maybe a tiger or two, or a croc?' Roztov laughed.

The bear grunted but didn't open its eyes. Soon it started to snore quietly.

'The house in the forest will be fine. My steadfast servant can manage things by itself for a  
wee while I think.'

Roztov put his cup down and shut his eyes. Soon he was snoring along with his pet. And in his  
dreams he was trekking across the snowy wastes of Velious again, towards the massive tower  
of Frozen Shadows. He was leading a small army into Maidens Eye to defeat the monsters in  
that hellish valley of the dead. He was delving into the dungeons of Norrath. He was fighting  
dragons and their kin in the northern valleys of Antonica and delving into the endless musty  
caves of the darkhollow. He was hunting undead in Arcstone. He was exploring the open planes  
of the Steppes and the huge icewall glacier.  
As the fire died down, Mrs Propamall came in and put a blanket over him.


End file.
